Watch Leon Edwards break down in tears while talking to mother after UFC Vegas 21 eye poke

Leon Edwards’ last octagon appearance did not go as planned. The UFC welterweight, who is currently on an eight-fight win streak, made his UFC return after almost a year of absence at UFC Vegas 21 (UFC Fight Night 187), heading the event against short-notice replacement Belal Muhammad, who filled in for Khamzat Chimaev. While the bout was important for both the fighters, it ended in an anticlimactic fashion when Leon Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad’s eye in the second round, forcing the referee to end the bout in a no contest.

UFC news: Leon Edwards eye poke

After UFC Vegas 21 concluded, Leon Edwards was seen talking to his mother over the phone while he was travelling back to his hotel. That moment was captured by a camera crew and was recently released by ESPN on their social media handles. During the emotional exchange between mother and son, Rocky broke down in tears as he could not believe that he ended up accidentally botching the fight.

UFC news: Edwards on Belal Muhammad fight

At the post-fight interview, Edwards told Daniel Cormier that he “would rather have lost” than see the fight end in the manner that it did. However, he later told reporters that despite the outcome, he does not see himself fighting Belal Muhammad again in the near future.

Instead, Leon Edwards wants another shot at current welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, who defeated him back in 2015. Since the Usman clash, Edwards has not lost a single fight and has wins over fighters like Rafael Dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Peter Sobotta and others.

“I’m on an eight fight win streak. That’s the third most in the promotion’s history. It’s me, [Kamaru] Usman and GSP (Georges St-Pierre). I feel like I’ve earned my way for a big fight,” Edwards added.

Leon Edwards eye poke: What is next for Rocky?

Leon Edwards is currently in the top five of the UFC welterweight rankings but has failed to turn his win streak into a title shot. The pandemic, the postponement of the Chimaev bouts and the recent no-contest result have made it difficult for the Brit to land a championship fight against Kamaru Usman, who is set to defend his title against Jorge Masvidal again at UFC 261. However, Edwards is hoping to enter the octagon soon as he called out fellow top contender Colby Covington earlier.

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